YuGiOh: American Kids
by Vuirneen
Summary: What if the cast of YuGiOh were actually american kids? Dub names used for obvious reasons. Yugi is addicted to video games and Joey is working through his issues in therapy.
1. Death Kiss Mega Melee

"Is Yugi here?"

"Sure Joey, he's upstairs."

"Thanks Mr. Moto."

Yugi didn't give any sign that he heard his friend Joey thump up the stairs. The only movement came from his rapidly flickering fingers as he manipulated the character on the screen before him.

Yugi grunted when the door opened and shunted sideways just as Joe Kickass sidestepped a potentially devastating blow from Cha Ching. Joey settled down beside him and waited until the flashing _YOU WIN_ sign lit up the screen before talking.

"Is that _Death Kiss 3 Mega Melee_ you're playing?"

Yugi nodded. "The storyline is weak, but the engine's amazing. I'm unlocking the secret characters right now. I've beaten Cha Ching 73 times in a row and I reckon that I'll get another one when I hit the hundred."

Joey settled in as the kills racked up, until Yugi heard _YOU WIN_ for the hundredth time. Nothing happened and Yugi muttered, "Want to play against me, Joey? I can try to unlock the secrets again some other time."

Joey nodded and Yugi clicked the punch button to get back to the menu.

_YOU UNLOCKED... SECRET CHARACTER!_ flashed up as soon as he did.

"Neat!" exclaimed Joey. "Who do you think you got?"

A silhouette climbed onto the screen and pulled off a few impressive poses before the writing flashed up - the lighting effect exposing _BIKINI GIRL_.

"Wow!" squealed Yugi. "I'm playing with her."

"Then I'll be Joe Kickass," added Joey. "Bikini girl is nice, but Joe Kickass is unbeatable." He stretched his back muscles before picking up a controller and hunching over it. "I'm warning you Yugi, I was _Death Kiss 2 Hyper Kick Groove_ champion at the school for six months and I won't go easy on you."

Yugi looked at the dusty trophy on his shelf marked _Death Kiss 2 Grand Master_ and modestly said nothing.

Yugi's grandpa found Joey wallowing in defeat three minutes later, as he arrived with drinks and munchies. Joey dove straight in with a rushed "Thanks Mr. Moto", while Yugi set up the next game

_NEW CHALLENGER!_

Yugi's grandpa paused at the door on his way out. "Yugi?" he asked.

"Yeah, Grandpa?" Yugi replied without turning around.

_ROUND ONE!_

"Have you looked at the millennium puzzle I gave you for your birthday yet."

"Sure grandpa," Yugi answered, flexing his fingers over the controls, "soon as I finish this game with Joey."

_FIGHT!_

"Ah," muttered his grandpa, before shuffling off downstairs.

As soon as Joe Kickass lost his first wodge of health, Joey turned to Yugi. "What was that about?"

"Ah, it's nothing important," Yugi said, as Bikini Girl used her soon-to-be-famous beach volley ball attack. "Grandpa gave me some sort of lame 3D jigsaw for my birthday and he's always asking if I've solved it yet."

"He seemed kinda disappointed," Joey responded, while Joe Kickass grabbed at Bikini Girl and threw her across the screen.

"There are only a few pieces," Yugi said, delicately getting Bikini Girl back on her feet. "It looks really boring."

"It could be one of those logic puzzles," Joey hissed as he mashed the buttons. "Tristan's always buying them: Move the ring off the rope, assemble a perfect pyramid, that sort of thing. Some of them are really hard."

"Okay, I'll take a look."_YOU WIN_ "Another game?"

"You bet!"

The millennium puzzle, buried under a pile of video games, still glittered, but somehow sadly.


	2. Joey's deal

They pulled out the spare mattress from under Yugi's bed and Joey stayed over that night. It was a common occurence - Joey even had his own set of pyjamas in the cupboard. Yugi's family never said anything, but Joey pestered Yugi about their attitude to his visits: the last thing he wanted to do was wear out his welcome. After a hearty breakfast, the two boys shouldered their schoolbags and headed off to school. On the way, Joey started again.

"Hey buddy, are you sure it's okay that I stayed over last night?"

Yugi replied in a monotone. "Yes Joey. My family likes you. I think mom would almost trade me in for you, you know?"

Joey smiled, relieved. "Hey, Yugi, do you remember when we first became friends?"

"As if it was a jarringly inserted flashback," Yugi laughed.

"I was mean back then. Me and Tristan picked on a lot of people, not just you Yugi." He sighed and Yugi had to prod him to get him moving again. "One of the little bastards ratted on us to his mom and she went to the school. I could have killed the brat when I found out." He kicked a stone and it arched up all the way across the road, luckily missing a small dog gnawing on his foot. "The principal sent me to counselling and I found out that all of my bullying was caused out of a need to get some attention from my drunken, dead-beat of a father. He never notices what I do... hell he never knows what day it is and rarely remembers my name, so according to the shrink, my behaviour would have spiralled into more and more dangerous acts of rebellion in an effort to get some sort of recognition from him." He took another deep breath and another sharp poke. "The stupid jerk..."

"Your father?"

"The counsellor: he made me apologise to all my _victims_ as part of _the process_. You were the only one that was cool about it, so I started to hang out with you and it was fun." Joey grimaced. "Of course, it's really all my mom's fault. What sort of an idiot would leave a young boy with a man who was both violent and incapable of looking after even himself? I guess I know which of her children that bitch loved most."

Yugi looked up at Joey. "You never told me what happened to Tristan."

"Him?" Joey stared at his short friend, his eyes widening. "He's on the football team. Nothing happened."

Yugi shook his head. "That's so not fair."

"I know. Tristan nearly talked me into going to the try-outs, but they practice nearly every day after school and I have a social life, you know?"

Yugi nodded. "Has he even bought a copy of the new _Final Fantasy_ game?"

"Man, he hasn't even finished the last one!"

They shook their heads in pity and agreed that enforced counselling bet the games drought hands down. Laughing together and making plans for a marathon _Death Kiss 3 Mega Melee_ session that weekend, they entered the gates of Domino High School. 


End file.
